Management
GSA plans $2 billion in cleaner construction projects
The agency is utilizing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to support 150 construction projects using “low-embodied carbon” materials.
Management
Good aims to defund White House’s climate jobs initiative in new bill
The Virginia representative offered new legislation Friday that would prevent the Biden administration from using federal appropriations to fund its planned 20,000-person climate workforce initiative.
Management
Return-to-office policies may bring potential federal workforce challenges
Deltek posited in its contracting outlook for fiscal 2024 a potential talent crunch tied to the Biden administration’s return-to-office policies.
Management
With catastrophes on the rise, a new report outlines how agencies can integrate their response
A new study from the National Academy of Public Administration and the IBM Center for the Business of Government details strategies the federal government can take to absorb the shock of unprecedented national and international events and mitigate their institutional risks.
Management
OMB should set office space benchmarks accounting for telework reality, GAO says
The watchdog followed up its September testimony on underutilized federal offices to call for the Office of Management and Budget to set the standard for optimizing federal real property portfolios in an increased telework environment.
Management
FBI’s new headquarters plan was not influenced by the Trump White House, watchdog says
An inspector general report four years in the making found that FBI officials nixed a plan to move its headquarters to suburban Washington, D.C., for reasons not related to alleged political pressure from the Trump administration.
Management
A stopgap budget might be better for some civilian agencies than an appropriation
Professional Services Council President and CEO David Berteau said Thursday that the uncertain nature of budget negotiations and a looming spending cut baked into the debt ceiling deal means some agencies might be better off being funded at fiscal 2023 levels.
Management
OIG: Eligibility gaps are a major challenge for SBA next year
A report outlining ongoing management and performance challenges for the Small Business Administration includes critiques of set-aside contracts versus the amount of contracting dollars actually headed to small businesses.
Management
Underfunding presents operations and cybersecurity challenges for FLRA in fiscal 2024, OIG says
The independent agency tasked with overseeing labor issues within the federal government is currently operating at the same budget level it was 20 years ago, while its unfair labor practice case load has risen 62% in the last four years.
Management
Agencies can begin submitting congressionally mandated reports to online system this month
Reports mandated by federal law will be uploaded to a centralized online portal maintained by the Government Publishing Office on Oct 16.
Management
With shutdown uncertainty still in the air, agency leaders need plans to support employees, expert says
The federal budget process is awash in volatility following the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and one health expert says agency leaders should not just plan for a shutdown, but also how to best support their employees through one.
Management
National lab isn’t properly tracking sensitive and high-risk property, OIG says
A new report from the Energy Department’s inspector general found that Brookhaven National Laboratory hadn’t adequately classified crucial property, including “lasers, oscilloscopes, chemical /biological equipment … that accounted for approximately $183 million” in value.
Pay & Benefits
Report reveals differing federal employee insurance withholding information between USDA, OPM
An OIG audit found differences of federal employee withholding reporting between the two agencies, leading to several employees being charged incorrect life insurance amounts and another wrongly waived from coverage.
Management
Some federal agencies utilize 25% or less of their headquarters office space, GAO says
As federal employees continued use of telework remains contentious, the watchdog highlighted in a new report that age-old office space problems have become more pronounced.
Management
OIG: Interior Department backdated discrimination determinations and applied incorrect standards
Officials at the department’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights backdated discrimination decisions for up to 15 days prior to their issuance and erroneously ruled in five cases, according to a new report.
Management
5 longest government shutdowns in U.S. history
Budget disputes have practically made shutdown threats a fall tradition on Capitol Hill, but these impasses left lasting impressions on the history of the federal government.
Management
What does it take to end a government shutdown?
The end of past budget impasses have often played out as calculations of policy goals versus the political pain needed to achieve them, but when the goal is unclear how do you know who wins?
Workforce
OIG: Tech demand remains a talent challenge for the federal home loan agencies, but telework can help
A report spotlighting the potential risks of recruiting and retaining talent at the agencies overseeing federal home loans shows tight competition for tech talent.
Management
ICE officials didn’t accurately report how they disrupted transnational criminals, OIG says
Immigration officials didn’t know how many transnational criminal organizations they impacted over five years due to a data filing misstep, according to the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general.
Management